Register
Create a free buyer account with your name, email, phone number and password. You can log in and use the site straight away — no account approval is needed.
Your Sale
Buying at auction made clear
Everything you need to buy with confidence — how to get approved, how bidding works, what unconditional and conditional sales mean, and every fee explained before you bid.
How to
A Buyer's Guide
Six steps from creating your account to collecting the keys. Every stage is managed in one place, so you always know where you stand.
Get approved to bid or make an offer
When you're ready to register to bid or make an offer, upload your proof of identity, proof of address and proof of funds. Your Sale reviews your identity and anti-money-laundering checks and approves your proof of funds. Auction bidding also requires a £2,000 holding fee for each lot and admin approval to bid. No holding fee is required to make an offer.
Do your homework
Read the legal pack, arrange or attend a viewing and check the guide price, auction type and auction date shown on each advert.
Bid
Bid live as the auction ends, or make an offer on a lot before the auction if the seller is open to one. Every bid is time-stamped and visible in the bid history.
If you win
On an unconditional lot you pay the deposit, contracts are exchanged and the completion date in the legal pack is fixed. On a conditional lot you pay the reservation fee instead and sign the reservation agreement, then the conditions in the legal pack are met before the sale completes. Either way, the seller is just as committed as you are.
Complete and collect the keys
Pay the balance on the agreed completion date and collect the keys. Your solicitor handles the transfer and we keep you informed throughout.
Sale type
Unconditional or Conditional?
Every lot is sold one of two ways. The type is chosen by the seller and shown clearly on each advert, so you always know when a bid becomes binding.
Unconditional sale
The traditional way to buy at auction. When the hammer falls at or above the reserve price, contracts are exchanged there and then — the sale is legally binding for both sides immediately.
- Exchange happens the moment you win
- Deposit is payable straight away
- Completion by the fixed date in the legal pack — 28 or 56 days
- Best choice when you're ready to move fast
Conditional sale
A more flexible route. Your winning bid secures and gives you exclusivity on the property, but exchange only happens once the conditions set out in the legal pack are satisfied — giving you an agreed period to finish checks and arrange funding.
- Reservation fee payable on winning (non refundable)
- Exchange follows an agreed conditional period
- Time to complete surveys and arrange finance
- The timescale is fixed in the legal pack — 56 days
- Popular with buyers who need a little longer
How to bid
How to bid — fees and deposit
Bidding is live and transparent. Every bid is recorded in the lot's history against your bidder number, and if a bid lands in the final minute the auction extends by a minute so everyone gets a fair chance to respond.
Holding fee
£2,000 for each lot you register to bid on at auction. It's returned if you don't win, or offsets your buyer's fee or reservation fee if you do. No holding fee is required to make an offer.
Buyer's fee or Reservation fee
Set by the seller for each lot: between 2% and 6% of the final price, with a minimum of £4,000. It is called the buyer's fee on an unconditional lot and the reservation fee on a conditional one. VAT is always added, and the exact fee is shown on every advert before you bid.
Deposit, Buyer's fee or Reservation fee
If you win, a payment is due immediately — a deposit and buyer's fee on an unconditional sale, or a reservation fee on a conditional sale. The amount and timing are confirmed on the advert and in the legal pack, so there are no surprises.
Reserve price
Every lot has a confidential reserve set by the seller. A property never sells through bidding below its reserve — and the seller may accept a pre-auction offer at any amount they choose.
Ready to take part? Register as a buyer and use the site straight away. AML checks and proof-of-funds approval come when you register to bid or make an offer. Auction bidding also needs a £2,000 holding fee for each lot and admin approval to bid; making an offer does not need a holding fee.